Chandogya upanishad (ch. 6,7 & 8) – 6

 Chapter 6, Section 7

Mantra 6-7-1

shodasakalah somya purushah panchadasahani masih kamamapah pibapomayah prano napibato vicchetsyata iti || 6.7.1 ||

Dear son, a person has sixteen parts. Do not eat anything for fifteen days, but drink as much water as you like.  Prana is made up of water and the Prana of one who drinks water is not cut off.

            As Svetaketu continues saying ‘I still can’t understand.’, the father tries a practical demonstration.  A normal human being in good health is said to be made up of sixteen parts. If a person neither eats nor drinks water for fifteen days, he will die. But if he does not eat yet continues to drink water during that time he will remain alive. When Mahathma Gandhi used to fast, he would drink plenty of water and would put some lemon juice in it. That kept him alive. But what happens to a person when he drinks water but does not eat? His mind fails. He cannot remember anything. So, to convince Svetaketu, Uddalaka asks him to fast for fifteen days but to drink water copiously.

Mantras 6-7-2,3

sa ha panchadasahani nasatha hainamupasasada kim bravimi bho ityrchah somya yajumsi samaniti sa hovacha na vai ma pratibhanti bho iti || 6.7.2 ||

tam hovacha yatha somya mahato'bhya hitasyaiko'ngarah khadyotamatrah parisishtah syattena tato'pi na bahu dahedevam somya te ṣhodasanam kalanameka kalatisista syattayaitarhi vedannanubhavasyasanatha me vijnasyasiti || 6.7.3 ||

Svetaketu did not eat anything for fifteen days. After that he came to his father and said, ‘O Father, what shall I say?’ His father said, ‘Recite the Ṛik, Yajur, and Sama Mantras, dear boy.’ (Svetaketu replied,) ‘They do not at all arise in me, sir’ (2). The father said to him: ‘Dear son, from a blazing fire, if there is but a small piece of ember, the size of a firefly, left, it cannot bum anything bigger than that. Similarly, dear boy, because only one small part of your sixteen parts remains, you cannot remember the Vedas. Eat something and then you will understand what I am saying’ (3).

            Svetaketu did as he was asked to do.  He fasted, drinking only water. Then he approached his father and now Uddalaka said to him, ‘Will you please recite to me the Rik, Yajur, and Sama Mantras?’.  Svetaketu could not recollect them and replied: ‘I do not remember them at all. They are completely gone from my mind’.  Having been without food for fifteen days, Svetaketu’s mind was almost blank.  Uddalaka comforted him, giving the example of fire. A blazing fire can burn anything and can illumine a large area around it, but a spark from it cannot.  Similarly, after fasting for fifteen days, he could survive with only one out of sixteen parts barely active. It was enough to keep the body alive, but cannot keep the memory going. So he was asked to break the fast and start eating as before.

Mantras 6-7-4,5,6

sa hasatha hainamupasasada tam ha yatkimcha papraccha sarvamhapratipede || 6.7.4 ||

tam hovacha yatha somya mahato'bhyahitasyaikamangaram khadyotamatram parisishtam tam trnairupasamadhaya prajvalayettena tato'pi bahu dahet || 6.7.5 ||

evam somya te shodasanam kalanameka kalatisistabhutsannenopasamahita prajvali tayaitarhi vedananubhavasyannamayamhi somya mana apomayaḥ pranastejomayi vagiti taddhasya vijajnaviti vijajnaviti || 6.7.6 || iti saptamah khandah ||

Svetaketu ate and then went to his father. Whatever his father asked him, he was able to answer them all (4).  The father said to him: ‘Dear boy, from a blazing fire, if there is but a small piece of ember left, the size of a firefly, the fire can again blaze up when you add some straw. The fire, in fact, can then blaze up even more than it did before. In the same way, dear son, of your sixteen parts, only one remained. But that, when nourished by food, has revived, and by that you are now able to recite the Vedas. Dear boy, this is why I said that the mind is nourished by food, Prana is nourished by water, and speech is nourished by fire.’ Svetaketu now understood what his father was saying (5&6).  End of seventh section.

            Svetaketu accordingly broke the fast and ate.  Then he approached his father.  This time he could recollect everything and recite the Vedic hymns, his father asked for.  His father then explained to him that if the spark from the fire is fed with sufficient fuel it will again light up and blaze into a conflagration. Similarly, the mind which has been weakened by lack of food, regains its powers when the person eats again. Thus Uddalaka demonstrates that food nourishes the mind.  He then repeats again that mind, Prana and speech are nourished by food, water and fire respectively.  This time Svetaketu raises no doubts as he has understood this from his personal experience. The section ends here and the next section we shall see in the next blog.

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